Yellow Lab Pup Available

Update 7/30/2011:  Good news! Rocky has found a new home on a farm with a large pond with plans of hunting in his future.

It's with a heavy heart that Stan has decided to let his 7 month old Yellow lab pup go. Stan is just too sick to be able to give Rocky the attention and training he deserves right now.

Rocky is housebroken, friendly and exuberant. He has a great nose and is very "birdy".  He's started on retrieving and obedience training.  He loves to ride in vehicles and he loves the water.

He's had all his shots and has not been neutered yet.  He's a purebred lab, but has no papers.  We're asking $150 for him, to good home only.  Our phone number is 320-679-411seven  or email me at beckyutecht AT gmail. DOT com.

I've got a vet coming out this afternoon to do health papers on the sheep that are going out of state. I will miss them, especially the BFL ram, Harwell. But it will be good to get our sheep numbers down so we can concentrate more on all the other changes in our lives right now.

I'm really glad to be keeping around 10 sheep, it would be SO hard to go completely sheep free.  But we'll just have to see what the future brings, I may need to cut them out eventually too.

I'm down to just 4 hens and two chicks, but two of the hens are broody. They're doing their best to keep the chicken population up around here.  I sill have one pair of the Shetland geese, one muscovy duckling and his caretaker, a Cornish cross pullet.  That duckling is the cutest thing!  I've always thought muscovies were the ugliest ducks ever, so I've never had them before.  I picked up the pair of ducklings to put under the broody goose, but she didn't take them.  When we lost the other duckling, I decided to put the lonesome one in with the meatbirds.  They were scared of him at first, but he was very happy to snuggle up with them.  So when the rest of the birds went for processing, I kept back one hen for him.

The Shetland geese are SO much nicer now that the other pair is gone. 

Thanks so much to everyone who has purchased sheep and birds. I'm working on the registrations and transfers now.

It's SOOOOO HOT!!!

The heat and humidity have been oppressive the past few days.  I feel so bad for the sheep.

Thankfully we got this nice big fan from Stan's dad.  It really can move some air! Stan built the frame for it so we can put it wherever we need it. The BFLs really love to stand in front of it.

I checked on the four felted birdhouses I put at the History Center back in June.  After just a few days the white one had some action.  And after a few weeks, the grey one showed signs of activity too.

The other two more decorated ones were still empty.  Darn!

Earlier I took the white Icelandic birdhouse home to shrink it down some more.  I forgot that I had hung it on the clothesline post until yesterday as I was hanging out towels to dry (they didn't - it was too humid!).  As I was hanging the towels I became aware of the wren singing a beautiful song quite nearby.  Then I saw the bird flutter off the clothesline post and up into the tree.  Finally I remembered I had tucked a felt birdhouse under the leaves of a branch that hangs over the clothesline end post.  I took a quick look and sure enough, it was half filled with sticks!

I really enjoy this bird house project.  In the midst of all the strife and worries lately, it's refreshing to see the birds with all their energy, full of life and beautiful songs.  We've had a female cardinal hanging out in the front yard in the Black Locust tree too.  She's even come up and perched on our windowsill several times. No decent photos of her yet.

Tomorrow I judge the 4-H Sheep interviews for the county fair which takes place this weekend. Sounds like there are more kids with sheep this year.  Yeah!  Thursday night I'm teaching a felted bag class at the Pine Center for the Arts in Pine City.  There may still be some openings.

For those of you who want to keep up to date on Stan, I'll add a link to his CaringBridge site on the right side of the screen.

A few photos of the ewes

Pregnant Freya grazing, April 2011

Freya with twins, center, Cleo on right

Thanks to everyone for the great response to my sheep sale.  All the Bluefaced Leicesters are spoken for, except for the ram lambs.

I only have a few ewes left for sale, 2 yr old River Oaks Freya, black gulmoget.
There is a possibility that River Oaks Ginger (moorit yearling) who lambed this spring, may be available also.  $200 each. Sorry I don't have better photos, hopefully I can get some soon.

Cleo on the left and Darla on the right.

Quick Updates

Our lives have been busy these past few weeks. Thanks to those of you who have inquired about sheep. I hope I have gotten back to you, but my email was being filtered so I missed many messages for several days.

I finally created a CaringBridge site for Stan. If you want to keep up to date on his treatment, etc. please check it out at:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/stanutecht

Lots to do here -- final reports for TWO grants, the BLU Treasurer's report and the minutes for the MLWP's meeting. Not to mention cleaning out the chicken barn, mulching the garden and SELLING SOME SHEEP. :-)

Flock Reduction

I will be drastically reducing my flock due to my husband's illness. He won't be able to go back to work for quite a while, so finances will be tight and he won't be able to help me with wrangling the sheep or bales anymore.

It's been very tough deciding to let my breeding lines go, but I will retain four BFL ewe lambs, 3 Shetland ewes and two ewe lambs, so I'll be ready to pick up again when things settle down.

I will try to get photos today of the individuals for sale.  But here is the list of what I've got to sell:
$200 each on the ewes and ram lambs. I am willing to work creatively if needed to get these sheep into good homes.

Registered Bluefaced Leicesters:
Beechtree Lanora - white ewe carrying color, 5 years old, good experienced mother, fine, lustrous fleecesale pending
Beechtree Rhyn - English Blue pattern ewe, 4 years old, good experienced mother with a heavier fleecesale pending
River Oaks Leora - white ewe carrying color, 3 years old, good experienced mother, fine lustrous fleecesale pending
River Oaks Rhisa - English Blue Pattern ewe, yearling, good experience mother, fine, light gray fleecesale pending
Ward Harwell - white ram carrying color, 2 years old, proven ram. VERY lofty, purley, lustrous fleece.sale pending
Also three reigisterable Bluefaced Leicester ram lambs, two white and one English Blue.sale pending

Registered Shetlands:
River Oaks Cleo, shaela gulmoget 2 year old single ewe out of River Oaks Hannah and Kimberwood Harrison, F3 Holly and other UK lines sale pending
River Oaks Freya, black gulmoget 2 year old twin ewe out of River Oaks Hattie and Kimberwood Harrison, F3 Holly and other UK lines
River Oaks Darla, solid black yearling twin ewe out of River Oaks Hannah and River Oaks Greyson,  F3 Holly and other UK lines sale pending
River Oaks Ginger, rich dark moorit yearling twin ewe out of River Oaks Hannah and River Oaks Greyson,  F3 Holly and other UK lines sale pending


Also have Buff Chantecler chickens available. $8 each

My bumper pull horse trailer will be for sale also.  It's a white 1986 WW, in good shape with good tires, including a spare.  Electric brake hook up. $1500

You can contact me by email: beckyutecht AT gmail DOT com (change the AT to @ and Dot to .)
Or phone me at 320-515-912nine (leave a message and I'll get back to you).